Category Archives: News

Well friends… we certainly had an October to remember! We want to give a huge thanks to the staff members, board members, volunteers, survivors, and supporters who made magic happen over the last month. October is a time to raise awareness, support, and funds for breast cancer and every year we are blown away by how many businesses, restaurants, community organizations, elected officials, and community members come to us to raise support and awareness for the cause. Thanks to YOUR INTEREST AND YOUR EFFORTS, we are able to come together and turn awareness into action. As a local organization, we rely on local fundraising efforts to help fund our mission and programs of breast cancer support, mentorship, and education in the community. NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU!

Just a quick recap… on our October to remember!

We had thirty-three (33) partnerships and breast cancer events throughout the month. This number does not count the many donations we received from generous supporters who just came together on their own and donated the proceeds to DBCC. This includes Dewey Goes Pink, which raised $95,000 and the Georgetown Car Show which raised over $10,000 among many others.

We had fourteen (14) month long partnerships throughout October. These were businesses who ran month long promotions to support the cause.

Winner for the “Most Bizarre” funds raised goes to WSTW who auctioned off a pink unitard worn by one of their DJ’s throughout October at various events. They chose DBCC as the recipient of the funds. Custom Coatings & Designs bid and won it for $500!

Twelve (12) new partnerships came in during October. These are organizations who we haven’t worked with before and we are grateful they came to us!

The State of Delaware’s Women’s Mobile Health Screening van spent 18 days on the road screening throughout the state which averages to a little over four screenings a week! They provided breast and cervical screenings, along with blood pressure screenings, cholesterol, glucose testing, to women who are traditionally underserved and/or underinsured when it comes to accessing healthcare.

“It’s absolutely critical that we increase awareness and access to preventive care like mammograms, both from an individual quality-of-life perspective and to help control our health care costs as a society,” said Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown. “Improving access is a real challenge in many communities across the state, some of which are miles from the nearest doctor’s office. Making cancer screenings a mobile service is a huge step in bridging that gap, and I applaud the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition for going above and beyond.”

The Division of Public Health’s Women’s Mobile Health Screening Van is a mobile screening van that goes to local communities in Delaware to provide a number of services including:

Breast Screenings

Cervical Screenings

Blood Pressure Screenings

Cholesterol testing

Glucose testing

Information on healthy lifestyles

Translation services for Spanish and Haitian-Creole

It screens underserved women throughout the state and completed 1,005 mammogram screenings in the last fiscal year with 85% of these women considered low income.

Women ages 40 and older who are interested in scheduling a breast or cervical screening should contact the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition at 1-888-672-9647 to schedule their appointment. Click here to view the screening schedule on the Coalition’s website. Women who are uninsured or underinsured may be eligible for a free screening through the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Screening for Life program.

On Wednesday, July 12th, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition held its annual breast cancer awareness game with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. There are so many great things to talk about from the game. To start, the Blue Rocks played the Lynchburg Hillcats at home and WON 5 to 4! The game went 13 innings!

Not only was the game a win for the Blue Rocks, but it was also a victory for our breast cancer survivors! Tickets were free for survivors and the Blue Rocks allowed them to come onto the field for a High Five Tunnel with the players before the game. A two-time survivor, Cindy, even brought her daughter Liorha to throw the first pitch!

It was a family friendly event that made everyone feel good! There were raffles and auctions for the uniforms the Blue Rocks were wearing. What made these jerseys special was that the players wore pink. People may have also seen the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition table selling merchandise throughout the night. And our friends at WJBR came out with special prizes and games for the occasion.

All around the game was amazing and a success for so many reasons:

Our section was rocking pink to show support

It was fun to watch the game and see the Blue Rocks win

Survivors Recognition was in full force

It was for kids and adults alike and everyone had a great time

Thank you so much for coming out to this wonderful event! We hope you will plan to join us again next year! Check our event schedule for more happening in your neighborhood!

Thank YOU for supporting the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition during Breast Cancer Awareness Month! It has been a wild October spreading breast cancer awareness in our community. We are grateful to have so many generous partners in our neighborhoods across the state, helping us share our resources with folks who need them and helping raise funds to support our local programs and services of support, education, and survivorship. We have to take a moment to thank all of our partners, volunteers, sponsors, and donors!

We want to especially give a shout out (in no particular order) to:

Pirees Piri Piri Grill in Pike Creek

Kings Tire and Lube

McDonald’s

Third Base Liquors

Sea Tows Boats

Duck Donuts in Newark

One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning

Gatehouse Media

Bayhealth Medical Center

Sante Fe, Wilmington Location

Rawlins Orthodontics

Chevy of Dover

Milford Police

The Melting Pot

Anytime Fitness Bear

Brandywine Lighting Gallery

Artist Designs

TJ’s Repairs in Milford

The News Journal/Delaware Online

Ed Oliver golf club

Dos Locos in Rehoboth

First State BMX

Plantation Lakes

First State Chevy Olds

NASCAR Dover

Eagle 977/Delmarva Broadcasting

Atticus Bow Ties

Capitol School District

Continental Jewelers

Dewey Goes Pink 5K organizers the Starboard and the Body Shop and Races2Run

The new Women’s Mobile Health Screening (WMHS) Van was unveiled on Tuesday, June 21 at Legislative Hall in Dover. The program included tours of the medical unit, remarks from program facilitators and elected officials, and a toast to the success of the program. Guests included Governor Jack Markell, Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Rita Landgraf, Division of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Karyl Rattay, staff from the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition (DBCC) and Women’s Mobile Health Screening (WMHS) program, DPH staff, and members of the Delaware General Assembly, including Senator Patricia Blevins, Senator Hall-Long, and former Senator Liane Sorenson.

The van is a collaborative effort between the State of Delaware and Women’s Mobile Health Screening (WMHS), a subsidiary of DBCC. The van is owned by DPH and the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition holds the operating contract. In March, the WMHS program received a new, state-of-the-art van that combines digital imaging equipment and health professionals from Beebe Medical Center. The Delaware General Assembly allocated funding for the van in June 2015.

“When we catch cancers early, we protect Delawareans from early death, disfigurements, complex health problems – and devastated families,” said Governor Jack Markell. “The work the coalition has done over 25 years has saved lives and preserved families.”

“Screening is saving lives in Delaware,” Secretary Landgraf said. “Because of organizations like the Delaware Breast Cancer and Screening for Life within the Department of Health and Social Services, it is highly likely that improving the early detection of breast cancer contributed to Delaware’s progress in breast cancer mortality.”

Delaware’s all-site cancer mortality rate has dropped, from second-highest in the country in the early 1990s to 14th for the period of 2007-2011. Delaware’s breast cancer mortality rate currently ranks 17th-highest in the country.

Starting in July, in addition to mammography screenings, the van will offer cervical cancer screenings and blood pressure screenings, as well healthy lifestyle education. A prescription from a medical professional is no longer necessary to be screened.

“I am pleased to finally see the new and improved women’s mobile health screening van on the road and bringing lifesaving mammography screenings to some of our most vulnerable populations,” says Senator Patricia Blevins. “The van serves nearly 800 women a year who might not otherwise have access to mammography screenings and with the new addition of a room for examinations, it will bring even more value to the women in Delaware who need it most.”

Through the WMHS program, more than 8,500 women were screened since July of 2004. Of those, more than 4,200 were through the Screening for Life (SFL) program. Over the past 15 years, SFL provided 25,000 uninsured or under-insured women in Delaware with more than 48,000 breast cancer screenings.

Women who qualify for the SFL program may receive free mammography services as well as cervical, screenings. WMHS also accepts Medicaid, Medicare, most health insurance, and self-pay clients. Patients should check with insurance providers to find out if they are covered. WMHS staff helps women apply for SFL or find another program that can help cover the cost of screening. Patients also can arrange for transportation or an interpreter through WMHS.

“By having a background in both healthcare and nursing and co-chairing the Delaware Cancer Consortium, I have seen firsthand the effects that cancer can have on all of those who are touched by this disease,” says Senator Bethany Hall-Long. “Early detection can be lifesaving when it comes to screenings for breast cancer which is why having access to the mobile mammography van can help reduce mortality and morbidity in our population.”

The van primarily targets those who are uninsured and/or low income; however, all women can be screened on the van. The van regularly visits community centers, senior centers, health care facilities, and employers throughout the state. Most women screened on the van are age 40 or older. For more information on the Women’s Mobile Health Screening Van, call 888-672-9647.

Several staff members from the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition recently attended the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. It was a wonderful summit where staff members were updated on the latest efforts to achieve Deadline 2020: to know how to end breast cancer by January 1, 2020 and advocate to leverage government to help us achieve our goals. NBCC President, Fran Visco, shared so many stories with us of the triumph and tribulations the organization has faced over the last 25 years. We were inspired to live up to our goals so we can stop losing the ones we love to this horrible disease. #NBCCSummit

There were updates from panels of experts in science, research, women’s health, and more on the Artemis Project – the search for a preventative breast cancer vaccine, prevention, metastasis, the political climate of breast cancer, and advocacy training. All of this learning prepared us to march to Capitol Hill to meet with our legislators and effect change in our communities. #NBCConthehill

Our voices were heard as we met with staff members from all our legislative offices. In Congressman Carney’s office we met with staff aid, Gita Miller, who assured us of Congressman Carney’s continued support for the fight against breast cancer. He has already signed on as a Co-Sponsor for H.R. 1197 – the bill which will help us Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer. We urged the Congressman to help put pressure on the leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to bring the bill to a suspension vote. We hope we can count on Congressman Carney to reach out to Representative Hoyer and Representative McCarthy to bring the bill to a suspension vote, where it will undoubtedly pass! Our Congressman will continue to make cancer a priority in his office.

Quick detour as we stopped at the Supreme Court for a photo-op. #wheninDC

Next, we proceeded to the Senate side where we met with Senator Coons’ aid Kelsey Mellette to discuss the Senators unrelenting support for the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Not only is Senator Coons a cosponsor for S. 746 – Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, but he has signed onto the FY17 letter to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in support of funding for the DOD peer-reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). This program has been so successful in producing innovative and unique, effective research which is both accountable to the public and transparent, and has produced extraordinary results. It has led to revolutionary work including the breast cancer drug, Herceptin. We are grateful to have Senator Coons support in Washington!

Lastly, we met with Senator Carper’s aid Lynn Sha to discuss Carper’s support. Senator Carper has signed on as a cosponsor for S. 746 – Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act and we hope we can count on his support of the DOD BCRP in the future.

The conference was intense but we found some time for fun. Meeting the faculty for a quick chat about his ongoing research and a photo.

And when it came time for the Breast Cancer Caucus “Convention”, we showed our Delaware pride BIG time! Check out our team pictured with Abe from the Washington Nationals and our University of Delaware Pride!

Overall, we learned a lot and had a great time. We will continue to fight to achieve the deadline and stop ending deaths due to breast cancer. If you would like to learn more about the National Breast Cancer Coalition and becoming an advocate, please contact Beth at bkrallis@debreastcancer.org.

Just about 300 people attended this year’s 19th Annual Breast Cancer Update held at Dover Downs Hotel and Rollins Conference Center on April 13. This year’s theme, Personalized Medicine: Not Your Grandmother’s Breast Cancer, focused on new methods of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and more personalized options.

The morning sessions included informative talks about advances in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer from Kevin Fox, M.D., Director, Rena Rowan Breast Cancer and Mariann T. and Robert J. MacDonald Professor in Breast Cancer Care Excellence, University of Pennsylvania, a look at what kind of research is being done here in Delaware by Jennifer Sims-Mourtada, Ph.D., Senior Clinical Scientist, Helen F Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care Health System, and a look at complementary medicine including naturopathic practices by Marie Winters, ND, FABNO, Manager of Naturopathic Medicine, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and spirituality by Drew Angus, DMin, Director of Spiritual Outreach, Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

New this year was a look at breast reconstruction and nipple recreation. Erik Hoy, M.D., Plastic Surgeon, Premier Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery and Mandy Sauler, CPCP, Micropigmentation Specialist, Owner, CosMed Tattoo, LLC, both spoke about reconstruction after surgery and nipple recreation via tattooing. If you liked Mandy’s talk, you might enjoy this short video from Penn Medicine as well.

The day ended with a survivor panel with three local survivors sharing their stories, Barbie Andrews, Cheris Reed, and Holly Thatcher. This is always one of the most touching parts of the day and a favorite of many attendees!